1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of food ovens. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a food oven having two heating elements whereby control means are provided for automatically preheating the heating elements before and throughout the operation of the oven to efficiently cook a particular food item.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Today, restaurants find it increasingly more desirable to efficiently cook food in order to provide fast service and to reduce the labor costs involved in the cooking process. Efficiency means that a particular food item is cooked in a short time and with minimal interaction required from an operator while not sacrificing food quality.
Many ovens currently in use contain a single heating element and the user must set the temperature and monitor the food item to determine when to remove it from the oven. Some ovens contain a timer which turns the heating element on and off to allow a food item to cook for a predetermined time.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,238,669 to Huntley, is directed to and entitled, an Oven Having Dual Heating Means. This invention describes an oven having a base plate which is heated. Food items may be placed directly on the heated base plate. A second heating element, preferably a quartz lamp heating element, is placed above the base plate, in the oven's cavity. This quartz heater has a greater thermal intensity than the base heater. A timer is provided which allows the quartz heater to be turned on after a predetermined time, and remain on for a second predetermined time. This would allow, for example, the top of a pizza to be browned quickly after the pizza had almost fully cooked. Thus, the brief time but intense heat from the quartz heater permits a pizza to be rapidly cooked without sacrificing food quality.
When cooking food products in such an oven, a problem arises because of the different heating characteristics of the oven based upon the oven's immediate usage history. For example, when cooking pizzas at the maximum rate allowed by the oven, the pizzas will gradually become more and more "done", which is defined by the amount of browning of the crust bottom and the cheese topping. This is due to the fact that the process of cooking products causes the air cavity to warm up. Therefore, a process and apparatus are needed to automatically preheat the oven to a predetermined state so that subsequent products heated within the oven will undergo a more uniform heating.